Women’s Surf & Yoga Retreats with Elana in Morocco, Portugal and Cornwall
For those who have been fortunate enough to to join our Secret Morocco, Cornwall Retreat for Women or Portugal trips you will have had the pleasure of meeting, surfing with and hanging out with Elana. With wide ranging interests from spearfishing to astronomy we had to catch up with her and find out a little more about her.
What’s Lighting You Up Right Now?
Honestly, just the fact that it’s summer! I’m loving being in Cornwall – spending time in the water spearfishing and surfing, going to music festivals, having beach BBQs, and heading off on spontaneous van adventures. It’s a great way to live and definitely keeps me feeling inspired and grounded.
On a different note, I’ve also just started an online nutrition course, which I wanted to do it for a while. I’m really excited to dive into something new and expand my knowledge in a field I care about. I forgot how much I enjoy studying – I’ve always loved learning, especially when it’s something I’m passionate about.
What Song Are You Obsessed With?
Every summer I have the same song on repeat which is The Swimming Song by Loudon Wainwright III, it’s so joyful and all about swimming, what’s not to love! This year I’m also obsessing over an old classic and playing Nelly Furtado’s All Good Things – good old nostalgia, one of my favourite emotions.
Read Anything Good Lately?
I recently flew through both of James Nestor’s books, Breath and Deep, in quick succession. Deep is such a cool read – it’s all about freediving, ocean science, and our connection to the sea. Totally recommend it for any water-loving girls out there! Breath is super interesting too. As you can probably guess, it’s all about the way we breath, and it seriously changes the way you think about it. I couldn’t stop noticing how I was breathing the whole time I was reading it! I have just started reading The Science of Yoga which is super fascinating. I love reading any books about science or philosophy and this is hitting on both.
Where are your favourite travel destinations?
Well my heart is obviously in Secret Morocco and Portugal as I visit them so regularly to lead the Women and Waves trips. I love both destinations and feel that every time I go back I learn more about them and enjoy new experiences and adventures. As well as surf coaching I am delivering yoga in both locations for our guests now as well, which is a real passion of mine. Cornwall is my home, so I don’t think of it as a travel destination but running our annual Cornwall Surf Camp for Women here is always a highlight of my summer.
Choosing a favourite travel destination is nearly impossible – I’ve been incredibly lucky to see a lot of the world. But the first place that comes to mind is South Africa, especially Cape Town. I’m half south African on my dads side, so every time I visit, it feels a bit like going home. Being able to climb a mountain, go for a surf and then “hit the clubs” (lol) all in the same day makes for a pretty epic city in my opinion!
Coolest Thing You’ve Watched Recently?
I don’t tend to watch much, especially during summer, but one of my favourite things to listen to is the Waterpeople Podcast. Free surfer Dave Rastovich and his wife Lauren chat with all kinds of fascinating “waterpeople” – from surfers to scientists and ocean activists. It always leaves me feeling inspired, uplifted, and more in love with the ocean, surf culture, and just how amazing people can be.
Any Apps or Gadgets You’re Loving?
I only recently started running regularly and downloaded Strava – which I’m actually loving for tracking my runs (though I don’t really use it for much else!). I’ve somehow got this wild idea in my head about running an ultra marathon one day, which is kind of ridiculous considering I haven’t even run more than 6km yet. But hey, it’s good to have goals, right? I’m really into astronomy, so Sky Guide (or any similar stargazing app) is one of my absolute favourites. It shows you a real-time map of the night sky, and you can tap on stars or planets to learn more about what you’re seeing. Now I just need a telescope to go with it!
Ready for Your Surf Adventure?
Elana has infectious energy, is a great surf coach, guide and yoga teacher. If you’d like to spend a week with her in Cornwall, Secret Morocco or Portgual there are final places remaining on trips in September and October.
